Supreme Court Hears RJD, AIMIM Pleas on Bihar SIR Claim Deadline Extension

Fast Summary

• Supreme Court Hearing: On September 1, 2025, the Supreme Court will hear pleas filed by political parties including RJD and AIMIM to extend the deadline for filing claims and objections in Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The current deadline is September 1; parties requested an extension to September 15 due to high volume of claims.
• Large-scale Claims: over one lakh claims have been filed in the past week,with over 33,000 submitted within two days. More than two lakh requests were received for voter name removals.
• Mandated Hearings: Voters challenging deletions from rolls will receive mandatory hearings with Electoral Registration Officers (eros), even though Aadhaar may not be solely sufficient proof for reconsiderations.
• Border District Focus: Election notices have predominantly emerged from eight border districts such as East Champaran and Kishanganj.
• Congress Complaints: Congress claimed it filed around 89 lakh complaints against alleged issues during SIR but stated all were rejected by the Election Commission despite evidence.

Image Source Links:

1. https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/tomdh1/article69884645.ece
2. https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/usq3ai/article69976560.ece
3. https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/ch0h24/article69990653.ece

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Indian Opinion Analysis

The issue of extending deadlines underlines critical administrative challenges in electoral roll revisions amidst Bihar’s forthcoming elections. The surge in last-minute claims-over a lakh within a week-highlights widespread concerns among voters about exclusion or erroneous deletions from the draft rolls, indicating potential systemic lapses on ground verification processes.

Mandatory hearings offer recourse to affected voters but may strain already overburdened mechanisms if conflicting documents persist or cases increase further post-deadline. Border district discrepancies suggest deeper challenges linked possibly to migration inaccuracies or documentation reliability near international boundaries.

An extended timeline could help ensure fairness and enfranchise misplaced voters but risks delaying other election-related procedures crucially tied to governance timelines. Additionally, large complaint numbers cited by political entities like Congress raise questions about transparency between institutions managing democratic processes-a matter that necessitates close scrutiny without jumping to conclusions regarding efficacy.

Maintaining balance between operational feasibility and ensuring voters’ rights stands vital as SC deliberates today.